"The Great Exodus: Into the Wasteland" available now

Part 1 of my novella "The Great Exodus," appears in issue 13 of Plasma Frequency Magazine. It is a fantasy about a warrior, cast out from his society, who is tasked with escorting a young telepath across the wasteland to a city where her mental talents can be better utilized. Look for the rest of the novella in the upcoming five issues. You can find issue 13 of Plasma Frequency Magazine here.

The Kelpie's Revenge, by Tais Teng

Updated publishing news

"Fetch" appears in this month's Bloodbond magazine. Now available from Alban Lake Publishing here.

The table of contents includes the following authors and poets:

Tyree Campbell
John Grey
Tim Jeffreys
Nicole Tanquary
Matthew Wilson
James S. Dorr
Marge Simon
K. S. Hardy
L. A. Story Sikora
Ken Poyner
Marge Simon
Terrie Leigh Relf
K. S. Hardy
Richard King Perkins II
Neil Weston
Robert E. Porter
Sandy DeLuca

So be sure to snap up a copy for yourself. And here's a look at the haunting cover, "Hunger," by Teresa Tunaley.

Publication news

My time travel short story, "One Last Time," was just picked up by Diabolic Publications LLC for inclusion in their Ether World anthology. Ether World is an anthology of science fiction in which some future technology is necessary to the plot of each tale within its pages.  I'd say "One Last Time" fits the bill.  But why don't you tell me after you've read it? Look for the anthology early next year. And of course, watch this space for updates.

Publication news

I'm pleased to announce that my science fiction story "A Soldier's Son" has been picked up by Ray Gun Revival. "A Soldier's Son" is the story of an army private trapped behind enemy lines on an alien planet, and I had a blast writing it, though it turned out a bit different than what I had in mind when I started the story. I had a definite ending in mind, and against the odds, the good private thwarted me. But to be honest, I think his ending turned out better.

Fiction Friday: Three Days to Dead

Urban fantasy normally isn't my thing, but Kelly Meding's premise in Three Days to Dead - a woman who's devoted her adult life to protecting the city in which she lives from the beasties that  lurk in its shadows, awakes in a morgue in a body not her own, to learn that aside from her missing memories, she has three days before the body she inhabits dies and thus, three days to unravel the mystery of what put her in the morgue in the first place - intrigued me enough to pick it up and give it a read.

And boy was I glad I did! The plot moves along at a quick clip as Evangeline Stone searches for answers throughout Dreg City, encountering fantastical creatures that include goblins, vampires, gargoyles, gremlins, faeries and perhaps my favorite modern incarnation of a bridge troll.  She turns up more answers than she was initially seeking, which naturally moves the plot forward to its satisfying conclusion.  And there's just the right amount of romance and humor thrown into the mix as well.  One of the things that initially turned me off the genre, was the urban fantasy I had read appeared to be thinly veiled romance.  Not so, here.  There's not one forced scene in the book, and the chemistry between the characters seems genuine.



Three Days to Dead will appeal not just to readers of urban fantasy, but folks who enjoy adventure, romance and fantasy of any type.

Writer's Block Wednesday

Even famous writers have struggled with writer's block, as evidenced by this short video.

Writer's Block Wednesday

Unable to write? Feeling distracted?

Well, you could always step away from your project and go for a walk or something.  But that's really just another form of procrastination.  Try writing about what is distracting you.  At the very least, just start writing gobbledygook.  Eventually you'll tire of this and your imagination will take over.  Before you know it, you'll be back on track writing up a storm, or a cool summer breeze, depending upon the nature of your project.

Don't let the quality of your writing concern you too much at this point.  Don't allow yourself to get caught up rewriting.  Produce new content and keep going until you get to the end.  Then go back over it and refine what you've written.  There's time enough for polishing your prose once you've brought the plot to its appropriate completion.

Here's a short film on the subject:

Writer's Block Wednesday

Still facing writer's block?

Here are a few tips.

If you can, plan out what you're going to write.  You don't have to know the exact wording of the prose, but knowing that your main character needs to travel from point A to point C without going through point B, gives you a goal.  Now you know where your character has to get to, write that scene.

Write someplace without distractions.  Don't write with the TV on.  Don't go to a bar to write, where you may end up ordering more beers than writing paragraphs.  Sit your butt in the chair and write.

You don't want to end up like this guy:

Writer's Block Wednesday

If you want to beat writer's block, your best tactic is to plan ahead.  Devote a specific amount of time each day to writing.  Once you've done that, devise a writing schedule.  Set goals.  Work on your novel Monday, Wednesday and Friday and maybe on short stories Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday you can work on your blog and maybe freestyle Sunday (write whatever strikes your fancy). Stick to the schedule you design and you should be fine. It also helps to have a target word count (think 1,000 words a day). 

If you have it set in your mind what you are going to write about before you even sit down in front of the computer and start typing, then you are likely to struggle less with the actual writing. 

Here is one writer's take on writer's block.  There are a couple s bombs, but no more than you might find in a PG-13 movie.

Writer's Block Wednesday!

Today is the beginning of a new feature on the blog: Writer's Block Wednesday!

Everyone who's done any writing is familiar with the term, though there are those who don't like to admit it. It's that all too familiar state of being in which you just can't write anything.  It's a frustrating feeling, but there are ways to combat it.

Different writers offer differing opinions on how to deal with writer's block.  I'm of the opinion that you have to write your way through it.  Write through writer's block, you ask? Wasn't the problem being unable to write?

That's right.  And the only way to get back on track is to start writing and keep writing until you find yourself back on track.  Do this by writing about how you feel sitting in front of the computer staring at a blank screen.  Write about the frustration you're feeling. 

If that's not substantive enough for you, take it to another level.  Start writing about the room in which you are writing.  Describe the curtains, right down to the thread count if you must.  The important thing is to start writing and keep the flow of words running.  Eventually, you'll find your creative juices are coursing once more and you'll get back to whatever is your current project.

And here's a musical take on writer's block:

Moving and anthologies

So I'm in the midst of moving the Coaterack from another blogging site, here to Blogger.

Please pardon the dust during construction.

In the meantime, here are a few anthologies I'm looking forward to in the near future that you may find interesting as well:

The Spirit of Poe is an anthology of Edgar Allan Poe inspired short stories and poems produced by Literary Landmark Press.  Every cent earned from the sale of the anthology will go to the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum in Baltimore, which recently lost $80,000 worth of funding from the city.  The anthology is planned to be released on Halloween of this year.

Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations is what you might expect from the title.  As the editor's site says, the anthology will be filled with "dark tales of horror, speculative fiction, and to a lesser degree science fiction, relating to civilizations that are lost, or have been forgotten, or have been rediscovered, or perhaps merely spoken about in great and fearful whispers. Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations is currently set for Spring 2012 publication.

Mutation Nation from Rainstorm Press is the anthology for the lover of horror, science fiction and all things strange.  This looks to be interesting, with an infinite number of possibilities for stories.  From the publisher's website: "Who are these human oddities? How do these characters and/or the people in their lives deal with the curse-or the blessing-of their mutations? This anthology will contain stories that explain these human mutations-and their consequences." Mutation Nation is set for release Dec. 1.